Ray Manzarek R.I.P.

Very sad news that Ray Manzarek the keyboard player from The Doors has passed away. The Doors were one of the biggest Rock bands in the 60's & their legend grew as each decade passed. While Jim was the iconic frontman & pinup for many, the 3 guys behind him were such talented musicians. Hear that classic sound of “Light My Fire” from Ray's keyboard, one of Rock's brightest moments. Hopefully Ray & Jim will now be jamming on the other side!

I also was saddened to hear of Ray's death. He made some incredible contributions through his music. While I do like The Doors generally, it was Ray's embracing the LA punk band X that first made me sit up and give the man a nod of respect. He produced and played on their first album (Los Angeles). His keyboard work on Nausea makes the song - takes it from good into absolutely capturing the emotion. I will think of Ray every time I listen to Nausea.

Ray wrote some great basslines with the Doors and was an amazing musician handling the Fender Keyboard Bass with his left hand and simultaneously playing electric piano/organ with his right. In my opinion, Ray was one of the top keyboard players in the history of the rock/blues genre. RIP